Arena - the unquiet sky

[Booba Kastorsky]

Used to be autobuy form me, but last couple of their CDs cost $20 on Amazon, and the subject too. Not buying for this price.

[LeFrog]

Used to be autobuy form me, but last couple of their CDs cost $20 on Amazon, and the subject too. Not buying for this price.

I really appreciate the posts you just wrote in the Arena, Sound of Contact and Tangent threads about how you don't like those bands' latest CDs and the price of CDs is too high. Very constructive. Keep them coming!

[progmeister]

I really appreciate the posts you just wrote in the Arena, Sound of Contact and Tangent threads about how you don't like those bands' latest CDs and the price of CDs is too high. Very constructive. Keep them coming!

Haters gonna hate.

[act]

for me this is up there with their best ones

[JKL2000]

I really appreciate the posts you just wrote in the Arena, Sound of Contact and Tangent threads about how you don't like those bands' latest CDs and the price of CDs is too high. Very constructive. Keep them coming!

Haters gonna hate.

He's obviously mounting a campaign to lower the prices of CDs.

[LASERCD]

Now in stock:

https://www.lasercd.com/cd/unquiet-sky

[AirBud]

Would anyone care to post the track times? I'd like to know if there are a few long ones: that's where Arena can really shine and go Prog in the instrumental sections IMO.

1. The Demon Strikes (5:37)
2. How Did it Come to This? (4:30)
3. The Bishop of Lufford (5:24)
4. Oblivious to the Night (2:47)
5. No Chance Encounter (4:30)
6. Markings on a Parchment (2:19)
7. The Unquiet Sky (5:29)
8. What Happened Before (4:55)
9. Time Runs Out (4:39)
10. Returning the Curse (3:48)
11. Unexpected Dawn (3:52)
12. Traveller Beware (7:40)

Total time 55:30

[act]

any more opinions about this album folks

[emperorken]

any more opinions about this album folks

I think this album is disappointing, which makes 2 disappointing albums in a row. This is straight rock, not really prog at all. They're going to have to prove themselves to me again that they can make a great prog album, such as those they made consistently in the 1990's and 2000's. Also, the singer Paul Manzi is nowhere near as good as Rob Sowden was.

[act]

I think this album is disappointing, which makes 2 disappointing albums in a row. This is straight rock, not really prog at all. They're going to have to prove themselves to me again that they can make a great prog album, such as those they made consistently in the 1990's and 2000's. Also, the singer Paul Manzi is nowhere near as good as Rob Sowden was.

i think its up there with their best albums,and i think that Paul Manzi does a great job,well each to his own

[selmer]

I haven't got any firm opinion on Sowden. If I have to choose between him and Wrightson, I more prefer the later one and more specificaly - The Visitor. I think this latest one has some of those vibes. I don't mind the current singer, I think he's solid. I think they went darker and heavier with Sowden, at least on those songs which I listened to, something like The Butterfly Man.

Seems like this album is better than Pendragon's new one and somewhat on par with Saga's latest. Saga's new one wasn't very progressive either. Sure, it depends what you put under the word "progressive".
It would be interesting to see Arena release an album such as IQ did - with lengthier songs and more instrumental parts, I prefer it that way myself, but to put it forward like some kind of a self-aim to write longer songs...well, don't know about that. It Bites "Map Of The Past" also had 5-6 minute songs and there were some very interesting instrumental parts.

[Progatron]

I think this album is disappointing, which makes 2 disappointing albums in a row. This is straight rock, not really prog at all. They're going to have to prove themselves to me again that they can make a great prog album, such as those they made consistently in the 1990's and 2000's.

Yeah, I agree here. This album (and the last one) did nothing for me. I'm a long time fan who had to have everything they did (The Cry EP, Welcome To The Stage, Breakfast In Biarritz, Contagion EPs, Live & Life)... love them right from Lions Cage up to Pepper's Ghost but these last two have been dismal failures for my tastes. I'll give this new one another chance soon though, you never know.

[progmeister]

I was actually pleasantly surprised. I thought the last album was awful. This is pretty good.

[Kanukisbrave]

wow.. lot of mixed signals on this one... Like Progatron, I really enjoyed Pepper's Ghost but was very meh over the last one...
So this looks like a job for a progstreaming journey I guess...

when it appears there....

[Valen]

I thought the music on this one was a step up in terms of composition and production, but the lyrics.....repetitive to the point of boredom.

The fact that the same lines are repeated and repeated before moving on to the next section of the song, sounds like overstating the point in the story, or overstating the obvious. No reflection on Manzi who sings really well, but no kudos to Nolan who writes the lyrics.

Out of curiosity, I went back and listened to earlier material and found that it suffers the same malaise.

Nolan's a talented composer, but a lousy lyricist.